Manchester City vs Exeter City Predictions

• This will be the first-ever competitive meeting between these two sides
• Manchester City have only won twice this season by more than a three-goal margin
• Exeter have taken seven points from their last three games in League One

Improving Exeter can keep things competitive

The first-ever meeting between Manchester City and Exeter will take place at the Etihad Stadium in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday and although this is a David and Goliath contest on paper, the League One visitors can keep it competitive.

Exeter will certainly head into the game in improved form, taking seven points from their last three matches to ease their relegation concerns in the third tier, while they put four without reply past Wycombe in the last round of this competition.

This trip to Manchester will mark a huge step up for Gary Caldwell and his side, but they will be facing a Man City team that have struggled to put teams away over recent weeks.

Hosts surprisingly lacking clinical edge

Pep Guardiola’s Premier League title hopefuls have drawn their last three games and they have lacked their usual ruthless edge for much of the campaign, winning by more than three goals just twice all season and not since trouncing Burnley 5-1 in late September.

Following a hectic festive schedule and with a midweek Carabao Cup trip to Newcastle on the horizon, Guardiola is expected to rotate heavily for this game, further boosting Exeter’s hopes of keeping things tight.

The Citizens should win, but they are unlikely to blow Exeter away. They only just edged past another League One team, Leyton Orient, in last season’s FA Cup and were pushed hard by Swansea in the EFL Cup earlier this term.